Thorpe Park have submitted a planning application to redevelop part of Amity Beach into a new plaza area featuring a stage, seating areas and kiosks.
Referred to as Project Pivot, Thorpe Park are proposing to redevelop the larger, northern side of Amity Beach, located parallel to Depth Charge. The project will provide visitors with new seating areas, food and beverage / retail kiosks and a stage area, alongside landscaping and back of house areas, including green rooms, tech rooms and plant rooms. There are four small existing buildings on the site – a kiosk (Amity Beach Shack), two sheds, and an “electricals” shed – which will all be demolished as part of the development, along with the beach infrastructure and hard landscaping.
Plans show four entrances/exits to the plaza area, spread across the southerly and westerly perimeters. The stage will be located at the northern end of the plaza, with green rooms and a tech room located in the back-of-house area behind it. An illustrative image looking towards the proposed stage has been included as part of the application. The stage will be covered by a stretch fabric roofing membrane on a 9.9m tall spaceframe structure, with a large digital screen functioning as its backdrop. Two line array speakers are due to be installed on the stage structure, along with three additional speakers on each of the six tech towers located across the plaza area for better sound coverage.
The area’s facilities will also include three kiosks and another tech room, all clad with composite timber, along with a plant room. Two of the kiosks will be found on the right and finished with a wavily-profiled themed ribbon, while the third will be on the left when looking towards the stage, serving guests both within the plaza, along with a second window on the side facing the external walkway. At the south end of the site will be terrace seating areas, the larger of which will be accessible via ramps, with a further seating area on the left-hand side, closer to the stage.
The design of the development is described as being high-quality and planned to make use of appealing colours and materials that are visually attractive for visitors. The plans do also make reference to numerous sculptures being scattered across the area. Permeable resin of three different colours is proposed throughout the majority of the site, with paved flooring in the area behind the stage. In the guest accessible areas, the plans suggest that the flooring will feature patterns consistent with Thorpe Park’s branding, along with what looks as though could be a large Thorpe Park logo at the centre. Soft landscaping is also proposed, with a combination of tree planting, shrubs, bamboos, and climbers. The fencing at the southern end of the plaza is set to feature themed artwork produced by creative experience agency Bearded Kitten, while millboard composite fencing will be used around the rest of the perimeter.
It is said that the proposed plaza will provide a location for visitors to dwell when they arrive in the morning prior to the rides opening, after they have passed through admissions and security, helping to reduce queues and improve guest experience. During the park’s normal operational hours, the new area will then provide guests with a meeting and rest space and additional opportunities to purchase refreshments.
The stage is the central feature of the redeveloped area, with this set to allow Thorpe Park to centralise the existing shows and performances that already take place during normal opening hours in separate locations across the park. The Noise Assessment Report states that noise generation from these general shows will not exceed 85dBA. Nonetheless, it is also proposed that the stage will host events on up to 18 days over the season featuring bands in more of a ‘concert format’, with each having a capacity of 2,000 guests. Although noise generation will be higher during these events (i.e. up to 95dBA), it is stated that noise levels will be reduced at 11pm to the pre-agreed park levels. Additionally it is noted that some special ad hoc events are also expected to occur, including cinema film screenings, corporate events, and events similar to Fright Nights – these may extend into late daytime hours and involve live music at slightly higher sound levels than the typical day-to-day events.
The planning documents refer to construction works commencing in early 2025 and lasting for approximately 15 weeks. This therefore suggests that the new plaza area will open during 2025, although may potentially not be complete for the start of the season.
It is undoubtedly welcome to see Thorpe Park investing in more permanent events and entertainment infrastructure. The most recent Thorpe Park Medium Term Development Plan (which covered the period of 2010-2016) included a number of ’round ride locations’, one of the which was located within and around Amity Beach, indicating that this area has long been earmarked for potential redevelopment. With visible groundwork being undertaken on Amity Beach in recent months and a ‘Final Beach Party’ poster appearing outside new for 2024 FRIGHT NIGHTS maze DeadBeat (notably hosted by DJ Central and DJ Park), the imminent overhaul of this area does not come as a complete surprise. However, until now the nature of the development and whether this would disrupt the current views of the park from outside of the dome was unclear – it is pleasing to see that the impact of these proposals on the sightlines should be limited. With the smaller southern part of the beach set to be retained, at least for now, it also means that part of this attraction, which has been a largely unchanged feature of Thorpe Park since the 1980s, lives on.
What do you make of these proposals? Are you pleased to see Thorpe Park investing in this new plaza area? Let us know via the Attraction Source social media channels.
